Overview
- Approximately 140 Head Start grantees will lose access to federal funds beginning Nov. 1, according to the National Head Start Association.
- Several programs have already shut doors or furloughed staff, including closures in Central Texas, Santa Cruz County, Wisconsin, and Highland County, Ohio.
- Colorado reports four programs losing funds Nov. 1 and six more on Dec. 1, with some districts and a rainy-day fund sustaining operations only through November.
- The funding pause jeopardizes early education, meals, health and dental screenings, and family support services that enable parents to work.
- The expected lapse of SNAP benefits starting Nov. 1 heightens the strain on low-income families who rely on both food assistance and Head Start.